SIMPLE. BEAUTIFUL. DELICIOUS. | ART WITH APPLES

When was the last time you paused to admire the natural, unique beauty of an apple? Until recently, I must admit that I’d taken these gorgeous little treasures for granted. That was until I discovered a Food Photography contest being hosted by Pink Lady Apples in the UK. Their Food Photographer of the Year contest boasts nine categories in which amateurs & professionals alike can enter – one of which sounded too fun to pass up – ‘An Apple a Day’!

In the ‘Apple a Day’ category, the Pink Lady judges are asking for images that showcase, “the simplest, most delicious of foods represented in the most inspiring way.” It was a perfect excuse for me to spend a cloudy Sunday afternoon scouring the market for the most vibrant variety of apples I could find (yes, I think I looked like an insane person picking up every apple, examining it, putting it back, picking up another… this went on & on for about 45 minutes) and then photographing them in every creative way I could dream of. I was in food-photographer-nerd heaven!

The variety of apples available here in the United States is staggering – everything from electric green Granny Smith apples, to bright Red Rome apples and everything in between – Pink Lady, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Macintosh, Red Delicious – each its own shade with its own pattern, as infinitely unique as snowflakes.

Entries in the contest are being accepted through next Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 – and winners will be announced in April. I’m looking forward to entering – it’s really not about the competition for me as much as it is how grateful I am to see Food Photography being celebrated on a global scale and how excited I am to participate. And, every entry into the ‘An Apple a Day’ category generates a £2 donation to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, the chosen charity of Pink Lady – Food Photography for a great cause – what’s not to love about that?! Here’s to apples – simple, beautiful, delicious.